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North Carolina football hasn't had the season that it hoped for this year. 2024-25 started off about as poorly as possible for Mack Brown and the Tar Heels, as starting quarterback Max Johnson went down with a season-ending injury on opening night.
Things haven't really turned around much from there, as North Carolina hasn't been able to find a consistent footing on either side of the ball. It's still playing for a bowl game at 4-4, but disheartening losses such as when it gave up 70 points against James Madison or when it blew a 20-point lead against rival Duke have left a sour feel around the team for much of the year.
After a season filled with so much turmoil, head coach Mack Brown is expected to part ways with the program at the end of the season, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
“The expectation in the industry is that Brown, who at 73 is the oldest coach in college football, figures out a way to exit gracefully. The slump, combined with Brown's age, portends a change coming in Chapel Hill,” Thamel wrote. “If and how that exit comes remains to be seen, but there have been enough signs of atrophy in the program that one more year for Brown is unlikely. There's no one on staff for a direct handoff, so the situation would likely need to resolve itself in the next month or so for a smooth search and transition. There's a bye week after the Florida State game on Nov. 2, where clarity could come.”
Brown is in his sixth season of his second stint at North Carolina, after he also coached there from 1988-97. His total record with the Tar Heels is 111-77.
North Carolina still has good chance to reach bowl game
North Carolina has reached a bowl game in each of the previous five seasons with Mack Brown at the helm, and they should have a good chance to get to a sixth despite a roller coaster of a season. UNC still sits at 4-4 on the year after an impressive blowout win against Virginia, and the schedule should allow it to get to six wins.
On Saturday, North Carolina will take on the dismal 1-7 Florida State Seminoles, who will be the unanimous winners of 2024's most disappointing team in college football. If they can pick up a win there, they will take on three other teams who are currently 4-4: Wake Forest, Boston College and NC State. The Tar Heels get two of those games at home, so the odds of them getting to six wins will be in their favor.
Quarterback Jacolby Criswell is playing some of his best football at the right time and this North Carolina offense is playing well as a result. Criswell completed 19-of-30 passes with 293 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia, and the offense has scored 74 points over the last two games.
If Brown does end up leaving the program, coming out on top in a bowl game would be a fitting way for him to finish his career in Chapel Hill. Despite all of the adversity North Carolina has faced, things are trending in the right direction for it to get there.
